UK Unusual Sports
Here are the unusual sports that you can find in the UK. Come along and see the action, or join in if you are game. See our large list of unusual sports from around the world, and others categorized by country.
List of UK Unusual Sports
- Alternative Games — 35 unusual events.
- Ba Game — a version of Medieval Football played in Scotland, a type of Mob Football where two parts of a town have to get a ball to their respective sides.
- Bed Racing — racing in your sleep.
- Black Pudding Throwing — competitors throw lumps of black pudding at Yorkshire puddings piled atop a platform. Held annually in Ramsbottom, Lancashire.
- Bog Snorkeling — fancy some bog diving?
- Cheese Rolling — get yourself and the cheese to the bottom of a hill.
- Clog Cobbing — throwing a clog.
- Coal Carrying Championship — only for those with a strong back.
- Conker Smashing — you have to be a nut.
- Cotswold Olimpicks — ancient games predating the modern Olympics
- Ferret Legging — a popular competition from the 1970s among coal miners in Yorkshire, England.
- Gurning Contest — pull a face and win.
- Haxey Hood — a kind of rugby game that allows unlimited players and a few rules, played annually in Axholme, North Lincolnshire.
- Hop Pocket Races — running races while carrying a hop pocket, a large sack into which the dried Hop flowers are compressed and stored prior to being used to brew beer. Held in the town of Bromyard in Herefordshire.
- Man vs. Horse Marathon — runners and horse riders compete against each other
- Orange Races — racing oranges down a hill
- Pea Shooting — food fight.
- Pie Eating Contest — changes in gluttony.
- Pooh Sticks Championship — not so sticky event.
- Raft Racing — racing on the water
- Real Ale Wobble and Ramble — the best way to enjoy a ride or walk - inebriated
- Royal Shrovetide Football — an ancient annual sporting event played on the streets of in Ashbourne, Derbyshire UK. Local villagers divide themselves into two teams based on where they live relative to the Henmore Brook - 'The Downards' and 'The Uppard's'. The game begins when a ball is thrown into the center of the town and then the players attempt to get the ball to the goals, which are three miles apart.
- Scottish Highland Games — what's up your haggis?
- Shin Kicking — kicking battle.
- Stinging Nettle Challenge — why would you eat something with the word 'stinging' in it?
- Straw Race — carrying bales of straw
- Tar Barrels — running on fire.
- Toe Wrestling — battle of the big toes.
- Uppies and Downies — a version of Medieval Football played in Workington in West Cumbria, with about 1000 players on each team who attempt to get the ball to the opposing team's goal.
- Woolsack Races — carrying sacks of wool up and down a hill
- Worm Charming — what?
Do you have a suggestion? Another sport to add to the list? Then, contact me.
Related Pages
- Unusual sports categorized by country
- alphabetical list of unusual sports
- my top 10 favorite unusual sports
- This site's 10 most viewed unusual sports
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
Current Events